51.1 km of cobblestones: the ratings game

news07.04.2014Pre-race

Following Christian Prudhomme, Jean-François Pescheux and Thierry Gouvenou's reconnaissance of the course on April 7, the organisers have rated the difficulty of the 28 cobbled sectors in the race according to their length, the unevenness of the cobbles, the overall condition of the sectors and their location.

Although the difficulties that spice it up can change from year to year, the course itself remains gruelling and unpredictable season after season. This time around, three cobbled sectors are making their comeback to the Queen of Classics after several editions off the map. The first big déjà-vu comes in Troisvilles (km 97.5), where the bunch will deviate from last year's course for a detour through Solesmes, Saulzoir and then Famars. Lots of people came to the reconnaissance, which was open to the media, and saw that the cobblestones of the Trouée d'Arenberg were covered with a layer of moss and grass that could make it even more difficult for riders to stay on their bikes! The winners and losers of the fearsome selection that will take place in the Trouée will then tackle the "Pont Gibus", including the sections the peloton will shoot through in the opposite direction in stage 5 of this year's Tour de France. Christian Prudhomme also took the time to inaugurate the finish line of the July 9 stage in Wallers and stress the importance of this key moment of the Tour: "Just like high-mountain climbs and tricky descents, cobblestones are one of the specialities of cycling. It makes sense for them to feature in the Tour de France every now and then. Indeed, the last time we dropped by, in 2010, turned out to be a thrilling stage." Before they even consider the potential of this section to shake up the general classification of the Tour, those still in the mix at the 112th edition of Paris–Roubaix will have two more five-star sectors left to try and land the knock-out blow, one in Mons-en-Pévèle and another at the Carrefour de l'Arbre. Failing this, the velodrome will decide everything!